TWO - Another New
"If this new life does not satisfy you, you are seeking in the wrong direction."

Cold fabric hit my body, undoing the affect of a warm sun. I opened my eyes, glaring over at the small vampire as she stood tall and confident.

"Anna-" I nodded to the odd materials in my lap as my body bent into a sitting position "-what have you brought?"

"Your new attire, Alexandria. We can't stay in our old ways forever," she informed stepping closer, into the light. Her words, although sweet and soft, must've had an underlying meaning referring to my whereabouts. My eyes adjusted, staring in wonder at her pants. Women did not wear pants, nor a shirt. Without question, I looked down at the things in my lap again. They were very similar to what she wore, but of darker color.

I scrunched my nose, wondering, "Who gifted you pants?"

"It's a new world," she mentioned. "I'll teach you about it if you come back..."

The moment had reminded me of a time long ago, but a memory as fresh as the newly picked flowers Stefan's servants often gifted, claiming they would lighten the room. Vervain flowers, they were, purple and pretty, but sickening to touch or smell. I had, many times, tossed them from the window, my fingers burning. I remembered the last time I was given a new set of clothes as if it had been yesterday.

-
Stefan Salvatore, clad in clothing that brought out the golden specks in his green eyes, knocked gently at my doorframe, the door having been ajar as he approached.

I smiled at him through the mirror, my past frown turning into a ray of sun. Stefan Salvatore had that effect on many, even those who he did not feel the same. Rosalyn was a notable girl that had taken a liking to Stefan's boyish charms, but nothing ended well for girls who followed after boys that didn't even notice them. Especially when there's jealous vampires involved. No, not jealous, we were too deep in pride for that. Selfish was what I would describe Katherine and myself as.

Motioning someone back in the hallway, Stefan turned sheepishly to me. "You had mentioned something about not wanting to remember the past and what you had lost..." He paused, smiling up at me with gentle eyes, "May I come in?" I had accepted silently, stepping back to let him further in, confused and intrigued.

My eyes no longer watched him in the mirror, but stared Stefan straight on as he continued, "You wanted to forget, and I wanted to help you forget. Take this as a token of my gratitude, I thank you for bringing light into my brother and my days. Here is a start to your new life, your new world." And even though the servant he motioned from behind the wall was only carrying expensive dresses and accessories and Stefan Salvatore hadn't truly known what I longed to forget, Stefan Salvatore gave me the sense of relief I needed, gave me a small token of hope to hold onto. I was forever grateful to be the one living inside the Salvatore house and not in the guest house.

I laughed, enveloping Stefan into a hug without a second glance to the servant. The boy warmed up at my touch, I took this as a sign of embarrassment and stepped back.

"Thank you, Stefan, you are where the old, saddened life ends and the new, beaming one begins." But, as I watched the shy smile grow on the younger Salvatore's face, I had never known how much of a lie that was. Although I knew forgetting the past would never happen, I expected my future with the Salvatore brothers and my sister to be grand. It had not been, it had barely even existed. I feel terrible for lying to Stefan then, even if I had not known.

-

Looking in the mirror, I felt odd in the clothes I had been given. The reflection of Anna smiling attempted at assuring me that everything fit perfectly and I looked wonderful. I politely smiled back, wondering if she was right, but I had no example to compare these clothes to. Anna was much too young and undeveloped to compare. Earlier, my hair had been knotted and entangled with forest items. Now, it was a perfect silky texture that was brushed out as well as I could manage. I had no time to curl my natural, thick and wavy hair.

Turning, I had no longer felt the tug of my skirt as it swiveled along with me. Everything had felt much lighter and rather slim, almost naughtily tight on my bottom half. Anna gave a reassuring nod and led me from the room, later teaching me of everything in this new era. After I had learned, my mind was made up on the next destination.

-

As soon as my heeled feet had touched the wood floors, the smell of blood wafted around me. Intoxicating and torturous it was. I had to take a moment to push the fangs away and close the large front door. I followed the scent of blood to where I assumed my sister would be partying with the Salvatore's. The sight my eyes landed on instead, was disappointing, saddening even, but it gave me a small tinge of relief. Maybe Katherine had left us all after all.

Half naked and very bloody girls danced terribly around a seating area, some already dead on the floor and others in the arms of a dark haired vampire. Seeing him, that man I had never known as a vampire, as a strong, supernatural being like myself  made me regret so many things. His human self was, as I could tell, lost in the sea of his victims.

"Damon," I smirked, pushing away any weakening feeling in my heart, "always popular with the ladies, even in death and older than their ancestors." He had yet to turn around, to look at me, but I could feel the frown on his face as the newly-dead girl dropped. I examined him, wearing similar clothing to mine. His jeans were darker and he owed a leather jacket like Anna's. If I had not known better, I would have felt naughty for even looking at him in this state.

It took Damon a moment to face me, blood decorating his lips like sweet alcohol. I had an urge to eat it off in any way I could, but refrained from the indulging thoughts. Instead, my fantasies were pushed away as he wiped the blood from his lips and retracted his fangs.

"Alexandria," he hummed, tilting his head in confusion at me. Something in his eyes made me frown, made me feel guilty for something I was yet to know. He looked to be angry, his fist clenching at his side and a storm rolling in his eyes. "You and Katherine played us like fools. Were you ever even in Fell's Church? Even for a moment?" As he spoke, his voice raised and the vein in his neck protruded. Damon stepped closer with each word, and, for the first time, he had actually scared me, I knew he was finally capable of hurting me.

"Oh, Damon, I knew Stefan to be naïve, but you seemed more clever. The older, intelligent, and strong Salvatore," I insulted, twisting his words as if I hadn't known he was with Katherine in the tomb. Anything was better than truly caring for him. Anything was better than being heartbroken once again.

"Katherine fooled us all-" I paused for dramatic effect, walking further into the room and toward one of his standing meals, never letting my eyes drop from his "-did you not know?" Still watching him, I drank and killed the girl all while he furrowed his brows. A sigh of satisfaction escaped my lips as the blonde dropped. "She left me to rot in a place worse than Hell, Damon, and when I finally heard your voice..." I laughed aloud, feeling disgust for my own naïve, human emotions. It reminded me of advice I had been given centuries ago, words that shunned weaknesses like human emotion.

As I began to talk again, I got closer to Damon. "I had truly though you found out and were there to save me, but no. I heard her, Damon, I heard Katherine begging you alongside Stefan. Begging you to leave me."

I ripped a part of the chair beside me, anger replacing sadness as I pushed back tears. "I'm not sure what was worse, not hearing the Salvatore's voices for over one hundred years-" I was so close to him, our chests only inches away as he dared to stare down at me with hard, blue eyes. I wished they would soften, tell me Damon was sorry just by looking at me, but they stayed hard. "-or ever even hearing them at all." The wooden leg stuck into Damon's shoulder, going in one side and out the other as he gasped in pain. I smirked, enjoying his short-lived pain. "I wish-" I looked over Damon's body and back at Stefan, who hadn't been there just moments before. We locked eyes, green mixing with brown to make a complete forest. He looked the same to the day I had last seen him over one hundred years ago, but his eyes felt different and he held himself high, mightier than the boy who obeyed his father's every rule. I did not care to take note of the sorrow in his eyes or the darkness of his aura, instead my mouth simply moved without neither thought of consequence nor acceptance from my conscience. "I wish I had never met the Salvatore Brothers."

Damon stood upright again, the leg now on the floor beside us. By a quick glance, he would look unfazed by my words, but my gaze lingered long enough to watch his eyes flicker. In the corner of my eyes behind Damon, Stefan stepped back, as if my words had physically pushed him backward.

"What are you talking about? We were looking for Katherine! And you-" Damon was harder to read than Stefan had ever been, even now it was still a struggle, but I had a feeling he had not been searching for myself, only my terrible sister. "-but she wasn't there so I assumed neither would you be," Damon claimed as I preferred not to meet his eyes and instead watch Stefan gently walk closer, his brooding eyes casted upon the couch behind me. I wondered what the compelled girls would be thinking now, watching their seducer prance around with veins pumping only that of anger and blood that had never belonged to him while his brother made peace between barren lands.

"Katherine was with you," I stepped slowly around the room, my eyes removing themselves from Sad Stefan onto Dangerous Damon. "I heard her. Maybe softer than usual, but it was her."

Stefan shook his head, having finally made it to the same close proximity as Damon was. "It wasn't Katherine." The oldest Salvatore looked over at his brother, realizing what I had heard. "It was Elena Gilbert."

"Gilbert?" I let out a scoff-like laugh, never taking my eyes from Stefan, who frowned as if he had not been playing around. "Yes, Stefan, lie as terrible as you always have. Gilbert...the vampire despisers."

He shook his head at me once again, beckoning me into another room as Damon stood stiff, not meeting my gaze as I passed. Cold, Damon was oddly cold. Yet, Stefan was still sweet and warm like fresh apple cider on a chilly fall morning. Both brothers, although they had never acted the same, held a similar feeling around themselves, a feeling only those who knew how could pick up on. Broken, I could tell they were both broken. An internal fight must have brewed itself up in both Salvatores.

Golden and wooden picture frames of Stefan and my sister had not gone unnoticed as Stefan led me into the parlor for a reason unknown, asking me to sit across from him as he began to talk.

"Elena," he nodded toward one of the pictures we could still see peeking around the corner, "She's Katherine's doppelgänger, I know-" But I was no longer listening, instead my mind had drifted to the first time I had heard the word. Doppelgänger.

-

"Lord," I giggled, watching his blue eyes follow mine, "please, do not be fooled by fairy tales and stories. A doppelgänger? Someone who is the exact same image as another? Pardon me for doubting you, my Lord, but that is simply impossible!"

The lord smiled, chuckling slightly at my comment. His blonde, curly hair moved about warmly-clothed shoulders as he answered, his mischievous eyes locking on mine, "Please, call me Klaus. And perhaps you are right, maybe she just looks familiar to someone I used to know."

"Or, please tell me if this is an intrusion of emotion, maybe you just want my sister to look like someone you used to know." I could tell Klaus had acknowledged my statement, his ocean eyes softening and his head nodding in content. I could also tell that, even if he wanted to believe what I had said, he did not. Not at all.
Lord Niklaus knew many things and anyone could tell this by just glancing into his full eyes, it was like he knew all the secrets of the world that my simple, twenty-one-year-old self could never comprehend. I adored that about him.

-

"Do not waste your time explaining, Stefan, I should have known everything was too happy to be true."

-

a/n
i hope you enjoyed!